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FROM THE HEART You might believe that there are things you have to do that

are necessarily boring or annoying, and you just have to put
Alan Cohen is the author of many popular up with them and wait until you have some free time to enjoy
inspirational books, including the bestselling A yourself. Yet if your intention is to live fully, you can turn any
Course in Miracles Made Easy. Become a certified situation into a platform for aliveness through connection.
professional life coach through Alan’s popular
Life Coach Training beginning Sept 1. For more
information about this program, Alan’s books and During a shuttle bus ride from an airport to a rental car outlet,
videos, free daily inspirational quotes, online I found the van driver to be delightful. This woman was super
courses, and weekly radio show, visit www. welcoming, upbeat, and helpful. She joked with the customers
alancohen.com. and made the ride a pleasure rather than drudgery. I was so
moved by the driver that I sent her manager an e-mail compli-
menting her. The next time I arrived at that airport I encoun-
tered the same driver, and I told her I had sent a positive note
on her behalf. Hearing that, she lit up and told me she had
A Heartbeat to Remember printed out that e-mail, framed it, and hung it on the wall of
her home. The e-mail took me but a few minutes to write, but
While checking out at a grocery store I noticed its effect extended far beyond words.
that a cashier had an unusual tattoo on her A Course in Miracles tells us that the quickest route to en-
forearm. “What is that tattoo?” I asked Ciani. lightenment is to make the most of our interpersonal connec-
She smiled. “It’s a copy of the EKG of my tions. While being with people can be annoying, it can also be
grandmother’s last heartbeat.” exhilarating and healing. A Jewish friend of mine went to the
airport to pick up a revered rabbi who was giving a presenta-
Suddenly the checkout process faded to background. I tion at the local synagogue. As the two were driving toward
wanted to hear more. the exit of the airport parking lot, the driver was trying to
decide whether to go through an automatic toll payment lane
“I loved my grandma very much, and I was with her in or a lane staffed by a person. The rabbi told my friend, “Let’s
the hospital at her last moment,” Ciani went on. “As go through the lane with a person. The Creator gave us each
a memory of our connection, I asked the nurse for a other as gifts to enhance our lives, and we must never miss the
printout of her EKG, and I had it turned into a tattoo. opportunity to connect.”
Whenever I look at it, it reminds me of her and I feel
close to her.” The next time I went back to the grocery store I asked Ciani
how she liked her job. “It’s pretty good,” she answered, “but
As I drove home, I couldn’t get the image out of my sometimes I get bored.”
mind. It jogged me to consider the value of one heart-
beat. Our heart beats about 100,000 times per day and “Is there any way your job could be more exciting?” I asked.
34 million times in a year. We generally go about our
business taking our heartbeats for granted. Yet I’m sure She thought for a moment. “Not that I can think of. It just is
that as Ciani sat with her grandma on the threshold of what it is.”
her passing, she and her family would have given any-
thing for those heartbeats to go on. In that moment one I told her that I was really impressed by her story about her
heartbeat meant everything. tattoo and I wanted to write an article about it, hopefully to
inspire others to value their meaningful relationships. I asked
One day all of our hearts will stop beating, but while her if I could use her story for that purpose.
they still pulse we would do well to count them all as
precious. Every heartbeat represents God’s intention “Now that would be exciting!” she replied.
that you have a purpose in the world and a reason to be
alive. While many of us believe we are here to achieve When we do things meaningful to us, we set into motion a rip-
a notable act or make lots of money, our real mission is ple of positive events that moves everyone it touches. Ciani’s
based on the quality of our relationships. grandmother loved her immensely, which stimulated Ciani
to get the tattoo as a memento. I was touched by seeing the
At the end of our life it is not our time in the office we tattoo and inspired to write about it. The idea of the article
will remember, but the meaningful moments with our uplifted Ciani and suddenly her job become exciting. Perhaps
family and loved ones. Let’s not wait until our dear you reading this will inspire you to value your relationships and
ones are gone or almost gone to honor and celebrate express your love to someone or take a mundane situation
them. Let’s tell them, “I love you” and do things to and lift it to soul reward.
demonstrate that love while they are with us.
A Course in Miracles tells us that when you do an act of kind-
ness, it may go on to touch thousands of people you never
even meet. Behold the value of one heartbeat.

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